Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Letter: Trump’s failure as leader

A leader must inspire people, not make them the butt of his excuses. He must take responsibility, not blame others for whom he is responsible.

In an early tweet, Trump said that he fired Comey because of the Russian investigation. This was after he received the letter from Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, recommending Comey’s dismissal. Now Trump has tweeted: “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt.”

It’s bad enough calling it a witch hunt when Russian interference is a very serious security matter. But, as a leader, to blame one of his subordinates is not only a failure in management of a team, but also a cowardly act by pointing fingers at someone for whose actions the leader is responsible. In the words of George Washington Carver: “Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.”

It is well known that good leaders must take personal responsibility. As President Truman said, “The buck stops here.”